Social Networks to Maximise the Competitive Advantage of a Company - Dissertation Example

? Module of your project ID Wordcount- 5,061 Executive Summary Social media and network is in a revolution that alters the relation of peoples and business operations. What used to be a belaboured business management can now happen within a touch of a key or within just a finger tips. Expensive trading and transactions offshore is now replaced with a global village exchanging and interacting 24 hours within seven days, thus changing the landscape of business operations and systems. Thanks to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, PinInterests, Youtube, Google+ and the like. Business competitive leveraging is just within a finger tips. The advent of information technology and the thriving of cyberspace communities within social networks made it easy to exchange goods with customer around the world or within the domestic market. Corporations and companies are now accessible in this era where everyone lurked within the information superhighway. But while business analysts and organizations see these as infinite opportunities, there remain a necessity for all web-based organizations to develop its internal policy on Information Management System to ensure that while its undergoing business competitive leveraging, it’s still able to maintain and respect internal policies, rules, and secrecy of corporate information, such as, the fiduciary relation with clients or customers and those internal corporate trade policies (Khan & Blair, 2004, pp.1-241; Badaracco ,1991, pp. 6-10). Some tips on how to preserve corporate integrity in this information and social network era are recommended by the researcher too. Table of Contents I. Introduction……………………………………………………………… 4 a. Aims ……………………………………………………………………… 4 b. Methodology……………………………………………………………… 4 II. Literature Review ………………………………………………………… 5 a. Online socialization and marketing ……………………….……………… 6 b. Increased Online Consumers …………………………….………………. 10 c. Satisfaction of Online Consumers ………………………….……………. 11 d. Social media: Bases for business decision-making………….……………. 13 e. Conclusion and Recommendations………………………………………...16 Introduction The use of social network for business leveraging is currently an essential value in business management. The advancement of information technology and development of software for web-based collaboration has turned data management as a strategic asset that is imperative as knowledge-economy becomes a trend of the decade’s economic paradigm. This paper aims to explore and discuss the significance of social network use for business leveraging. In delving into this topic, the researcher will answer the question how companies use social networks to maximize their competitive advantage? The researcher will use a qualitative method in exploring and explicating the topic. This method seeks to explore a phenomenon using flexible iterative style of generating responses to questions through semi structured in-depth interviews, focus group discussions and observation to describe and explain relationships and experiences of a group (Cassell & Symon, 1994, pp 10-25; Cassell & Symon, 2004, pp. 1-4; Creswell, 2003, pp. 4-6; Easterby-Smith, Thorpe, & Lowe, 2002, pp. 10; Fischer, 2007, Mayon-White, 2004, p. 28; Neuman, 2006, pp. 12-15; Polonsky & Waller, 2005, pp. 10). It’s an open ended research type and most of evidences are textual sourced from secondary and primary sources (Cassell & Symon, 1994, pp 10-25; Cassell & Symon, 2004, pp. 1-4; Creswell, 2003, pp. 4-6; Easterby-Smith, Thorpe, & Lowe, 2002, pp. 10; Fischer, 2007, Mayon-White, 2004, p. 28; Neuman, 2006, pp. 12-15; Polonsky & Waller, 2005, pp. 10). Ethical considerations in the conduct of this study are seriously noted in accordance to universal research standards (Polonsky & Waller, 2005, pp. 10). The researcher used secondary materials sourced online database and from library to extensive explore and explicate how the business sectors are able to competitively leverage using social networks (Creswell, 2003, p. 6). Literature Review Organizational managers opt for strategic management concept that distinguishes creative strategies using dimensional construct to outperform others and attain business sustainability (Lumpkin, Dess, McNamara, & Eisner, 2012). It takes an organization with clear goals, pro-active stakeholders, defined tactical or strategic plans, and skills to attain effectiveness and efficiency (Lumpkin, et.al., 2012). They are consistently concern about competitively leveraging to survive the implications of industrial trends, hence, companies often conduct environmental scanning to understand the political, economic, social, technological, logistical and ecological influences to organizational directions and performances (Lumpkin, et.al., 2012). They primarily value the shareholders interests, investors, customers, workers, government regulators, to maintain organizational control and resolve conflicting matters. They make collaborative decision-makings to evade potential dichotomy in the implementation processes toward organizational sustainability (Lumpkin, et.al., 2012). A strategic organization creates partnership and dwell in collaboration with entities that are supportive for its growth and development. But this is not sufficient in this millennium to compete for better corporate performance, resource management and business operation (Lumpkin, et. al., 2012). These competences is not just about having clear goals, skilled human resources, and working to attain targeted results and outcome. Business competence is also about strategizing ways to find and adapt some mechanism to leverage in the market. In this knowledge driven market and economy, business managers are using social networks or social media to manifest business leadership and to turn data and information as strategic asset in developing business leadership and competitive leveraging. Information technology and information architecture created such solution in data management to reach out customers and potential business partners through online and mobile telecommunication system. The deluge of information can be maximized as strategic information and ultimately into actionable insights. This is what is currently known as business intelligence which appreciates the optimization of websites and social media as solution for risks reduction and costs in deployment of resources. Thus, provide greater business efficiency, development of intelligible business insights for actionable information, rapid response to market opportunities, and creatively availing of services and solutions using online and web platforms and apps for collaboration and networking. As such, business companies can now enjoy a global village of customers where they can rigorously and widely promote its products, services, and invention across countries and at all time zones although just staying in one room doing online business operations and collaborations. Social media has indeed created an effective platform for essential solution and effective policy for network transactions and interactive business relations online. It’s in this context that more of these workers are trained to better communicate and become skilled in sharing information. Online socialization and marketing As people empirically observed nowadays, sociology and marketing is happening online. This is evident in the creation of Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pin Interest, LinkedIn, and the like. Facebook for instance opened its platform not only for social networking with colleagues, classmates, friends, and groups, but also for company services and vigorous advertisements of products and services. Currently, it has 1.07 billion subscribers of which 604 million of them are mobile (Thomas, 2013, p. 1). Of these mobile users, 470 million are accessing Facebook using smartphone app and the rest use mobile web version (Thomas, 2013, p. 1). Reports further bared that there are already 140 million iPhone users and 45 million iPad users. Those who accessed Facebook using Android, reached to about 175 million and is still growing while there are 60 million users of Blackberry to access Facebook (Thomas, 2013, p. 1). The statistics of those how used Nokia and Web are now considered as insignificant (Thomas, 2013, p. 1). Facebook created a venue for information provided by organization and companies, following their registration, based on its policy. Facebook (2013) explained that when an advertiser creates ads, they are provided with an opportunity to choose the location, demographics, likes, keywords and other information on the social network. On Facebook, if an Advertiser Company opted to share the information to targeted clients within 18-35 years old in a certain country, then the information will be limited to what the page creator inclined to be supported. An advertisement guideline of the FB serves as the directives and regulators for the advertisement page subscribers, including the use of sensitive information. The advertiser may like several information pages on FB to network and share information too for product and services promotion. In return, support services for subscribers are utilized including graphs and statistics of reports about how many times they are viewed. Facebook (2013) shared the success story of State Bicycle Co., a bike manufacturer specializing on top-quality kind of bicycles. It has gained yearly incremental sales from coupon codes and traffic exclusively from Facebook with an amount of $500,000. Facebook (2013) reported that the company has 12% traffic to its website from Facebook and cost 1/5th per click on Facebook compared to other advertising platforms. Since its usage, an exponential growth of 10x was generated from online potential customers and information viewers who liked its page with a year. Thru this medium, customer management can be done thru online interaction (FB, 2013). The company’s information web manager can also post photos featuring its products (FB, 2013). The page also offer customer perks as an added value such as photo contests where a winner could win a new bike. Some of these information could be shared and save d too in other social networks, such as Twitter, Pin interest, and LinkedIn. Zalora, another garment company based in the Philippines started optimizing FB-based promotion and advertisement of products (Facebook, 2013). This however requires customer social media relations too for interactive purposes and to ensure that business remains customer-centered in its approach. Bozso (2013) pointed that the scaled impact of social media or networks expand market relations in a national and international scale which made the information superhighway became an auto market that boost liberalized economy. It magically hastens the market relations of modern online marketing, public and customer relations, and product management (Bozso, 2013). As Facebook reached billion of subscribers, the taste and likes of consumers could therefore be easily sensed through their opinions, photos and liked statuses. Kharif (2013) viewed that the network is balancing monetary interest and popularity while at the same time maintaining its principle to be a social movement than a business (p. 1). Business analysts contend that based on average information, Facebook revenue is expected to rise by 30 % to $6.53 billion in 2013 than the estimated 35% growth last year (Kharif, 2013, p. 1). Although some of its virtual goods leaped to 88% in 2011 but its online games such as Zynga's "FarmVille" was reduced in the third quarter (Kharif, 2013, p. 1). But its chief executive Mark Zuckerberg professed that Facebook is just starting and all its workers are tasked at generating ideas about how to bring in revenue from all of its apps, advertisements, promotion, and the like (Kharif, 2013, p. 1). As Zuckerberg once said, the built services are not intended for money but the company make money to build better services (Kharif, 2013, p. 1). Notwithstanding this concern, Facebook maintained the reputation of successfully and quickly introducing products with 60% shares and that the company is expected to report $ 339.3 million in US mobile ad revenue in 2012 based on eMarketer Inc. study (Kharif, 2013, p. 1). The latter projected that Facebook is getting about 11% of the global market. Such means that mobile ad revenues may exceed $ 1. 2 billion by 2014 (Kharif, 2013, p. 1). These figures showed the number of businesses, companies and organizations that has been avidly using Facebook as bridge to home-based consumers around the globe or in countries that have maintained an open access to information. As a matter of fact, many organizations could have used varied social networks at a time to propagate information of their products. Bozso (2013) however clarified that having multiple social media platform is maybe popular but this doesn’t immediately tag a company influential to consumers or could be immediately considered as excellent in its performance management. Still, communication experts need to reflect which of the distributed information is valuable, relevant, and has the power to generate opinions when it comes to products (Bozso, 2013, p.1). This is where data mining is significant in monitoring the loyalty and preferences of consumers and the season when certain products are marketable (Bozso, 2013, p. 1). Increased Online Consumers Horton (2013) affirmed that indeed, there is an increasing cyber population who prefers to buy products online instead of hovering personally in malls and boutiques to see goods (p. 1). In United States for instance, about 39% of the population shop online and have an estimated reached an expenditure of about P30 billion online in 2011. The strong influences of information technology over online marketing haven’t changed the nature of company and the consumer relation. E-commerce still demand customer satisfaction remained a key matter. Hence, those consumers who’d express dissatisfaction of the products purchased reserved a certain period to return the product and to demand for refund of fees. Horton (2013) cited a report index which bared result of a survey whose primary findings stipulated that, though online retail sales in the U.S. are experiencing a record-breaking year, customer satisfaction remained stagnant (p. 1). To improve the customer experience, business leaders need to measure and understand their customers’ wants, needs, and expectations. Horton (2013) pointed that winning the consumer’s demand, online retailer still, must provide superior and customer-focused digital marketing experience (p. 1). This is the business philosophy of Amazon.com as it partake the leadership in digital marketing (Horton, 2013, p. 1). It maintained that excellent customer experience tend to see increased revenues, loyalty, and recommendations (Horton, 2013, p. 1). Customer who are clearly dissatisfied on website services, would rate the web poorly too (Horton, 2013, p. 1). They will also discuss their frustration online in a social network or in a blog site. Report bared that there is a critical distinction based on 2012 Index which cited that shoppers who are highly satisfied with a product sold in e-commerce are 71% more likely to purchase from the same retailer online and 56% more likely to purchase offline. Satisfaction of Online Consumers Data about online consumers posit that on brand loyalty, highly satisfied holiday shoppers are 67% more likely to buy from that retailer the next time they buy similar merchandise, 65% more committed to the brand, and 61% more likely to return to the website than those who are dissatisfied (Horton, 2013, p. 1). On brand affinity, there were 61% of highly satisfied shoppers, who expressed that they are satisfied with the retailer generally while on brand promotion, 69% of the highly satisfied shoppers are more likely to recommend the company to friends, colleagues and those whom they are in relation with (Horton, 2013, p. 1). To attain all these, Amazon.com recommended the sensible practices for digitized marketing and business model (Horton, 2013, p. 1). These are as follows: a. Understand Your Target Client -- this is fundamental in business management and essential to generate better impact for customer satisfaction (Horton, 2013, p. 1). Some companies like Mercury drug store, HBC, and Shoemart malls use customer cards membership to tract the statistics of products purchased. An overall assessment of products sold to market can help business managers decide on what products that should be continually available to purchasers and what those that shouldn’t be. In the case of online shoppers, their personal information and data of purchases can help do the same. This record their wants, needs and expectations. Their personal records however should be made confidential as this constitutes business-client fiduciary relation too. b. Customer Data is useful to Refine User Experience - Amazon is proficient at tracking shopper behavioural possibilities at a very specific level to understand it’s ubiquitous target audience (Horton, 2013, p. 1). This can be done using marketing automation software that could help determine the products shopped, the web content viewed, and amount spent for each product. It is going to be exceptional of the company is able to get into the mind or psyche of its consumers so that the website will be optimize to favour the customer satisfaction and encourage loyalty (Horton, 2013, p. 1). This should correlate to targeted sales (Horton, 2013, p. 1). c. Content creativity - Web content development should be creative and appealing to the viewers. Art is one of the driving forces that attract online viewers. The artistic substance of advertised products evoke much on the aesthetic interest of potential customers but of course, with anent information supplied to fully and textually introduce these goods. This millennium, consumers are meticulous about the products contents, use, limitations, niceties, and warranties. Hence, there is no better company than those who are able to quench consumer with brief but concise details of its products. In this regard, Amazon and CNET can be cited as prolific in content management of their products because it has detailed features and description of their products sold (Horton, 2013, p. 1). Accuracy, relevance and transparency are values of pure art (Horton, 2013, p. 1). Social media: Bases for business decision-making Holmes ( 2012) argued that social media has transformed the traditional business management into an influential medium for decision-making (p. 1). IT has in fact, evolved as a boardroom tool (Holmes, 2012, p. 1). In 2011 alone, 73 % o fFortune 500 companies become active in Twitter and Facebook and 90% of the executives believed that social media has engaged consumers much that led to dramatic sales (Holmes, 2012, p. 1). These days, businessmen looked at social network as tool of improving productivity with internal networks and have contributed to significant and measurable return of investment (ROI) (Holmes, 2012, p. 1). With these, it’s possible to have at least five impacts of social media use to business operation and management (Holmes, 2012, p. 1). First, social media is not only limited to marketing and community building functions at companies (Holmes, 2012, p. 1). It has also tapped an estimated $ 1.3 trillion of value from social technologies that has catapulted for enhanced communications and collaborations across enterprises. Hence, social media has become a productivity tool too akin to how emails did it in the 1990s (Holmes, 2012, p. 1). Second, social media has also hastened the connection of job seekers and streamlined application processes (Holmes, 2012, p. 1). The sales department also use social media to generate information and to tract clients (Holmes, 2012, p. 1). Business operations and distributions also help bridge them to supply chains while the research and development team undertake studies about their market and products (Holmes, 2012, p. 1). Instead of simply known as networking tool, it has become a business tool. While email remained an online tool for communication, the social media has developed an avenue for collaboration and instant interaction of real-time communication and information sharing (Holmes, 2012, p. 1). Eventually, social network will become a great road into enterprise settings that will permeate employees to form virtual work groups and brainstorm ideas on centralized message boards (Holmes, 2012, p. 1). Third, social media has evolved into a mainstream of grand and unprecedented information on client behaviours and choices like how the organizations of Gatorade, Dell and the Super Bowl, as well as the Red Cross paved the way for centralized real-time monitoring and analysis (Holmes, 2012, p. 1). Social media has become a room in sensing and negotiating with customer sentiment and can be actually considered as grand analytical software (Holmes, 2012, p. 1). This year, the business sector will be using this technology to streamline and develop meanings of social data (Holmes, 2012, p. 1). Many companies have already started using the social network for real-time analysis of social metrics and for better informed business decision-makings (Holmes, 2012, p. 1). This is enjoyed by GE to hasten repairs for electrical grid; auto industry to predict recalls, Wall Street to forecast stock indexes and T-Mobile to avert customer defections (Holmes, 2012, p. 1). Fourth, social media compliance has become an indispensable priority of companies. Hence, Morgan Stanley as well as its 18,000 advisors joined Twittersphere with defined SEC rules governing the company’s communications with the public and stakeholders on traditional channels, print ads to brochures, and to social media (Holmes, 2012, p. 1). This cautious communication in social network is targeting at minimizing potential lawsuit from false information posted online (Holmes, 2012, p. 1). This is also true to other companies with regulated communications, such as from food, healthcare, pharmaceuticals and government to maintain compliance to social media and company policies (Holmes, 2012, p. 1). Some industries wanted that their social messaging, including those that are related to work, should be archived for at least three years (Holmes, 2012, p. 1). Hence, it is expected that this year, companies could use business-grade social media management systems with built-in archiving capacity (Holmes, 2012, p. 1). . This could be social media management software that manages multiple social profiles in all networks (Holmes, 2012, p. 1). This software may include access to online training programs and webinars for employees to improve their industry-specific compliance issues and to harness their skills or talents (Holmes, 2012, p. 1). Fifth, social media is now considered as an international niche for networking among information technology- savvy companies that have optimized Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+ for business operation and management (Holmes, 2012, p. 1). In 2012, Instagram gained social traffic growth of about 17,319 % and Pinterest grew by 5,124 % . There might be new players in 2013 that can offer better substantial functionality with less technical hindrances (Holmes, 2012, p. 1). The opportunities are high as social networking scale up with dramatic development (Holmes, 2012, p. 1). Analysts, expected that this year, new users will come in which is pegged to grow by 21.1 % in Asia-Pacific (which include China, India and Indonesia), 23.3 % in the Middle East and Africa and 12.6 % in Latin America (Holmes, 2012, p. 1). In 2012, China’s twitter (e.g. Sina Weibo) participation reached 400 million. This figures will indeed encourage business sectors around the world to leverage its operations using social media to be fully informed and to engaged the expanding potential clients on social networks (Holmes, 2012, p. 1). It’s therefor no longer a surprise when social media management systems to become the instrument of companies to streamline and automate this process (Holmes, 2012, p. 1). The Harvard Business review has affirmed this in their study with 2,100 companies-respondents although only 12% professed that they are able to make use of social media effectively as technology toward improved social processes and analytical instrument for clear return of investments (Holmes, 2012, p. 1). Conclusion/Recommendations Indeed, information technology paved the way for the maximization of online applications that encouraged the boom of social networking that bridged nations, peoples, as well as consumers with companies. Liberalized economy is indeed supported with an open communication system that revolutionizes business operation and management, including corporate decision-makings. Social networks offered an endless opportunity for companies to leverage and gain level of competitiveness in dealing with business transactions and in optimizing their performances. As people and the business sector appreciates this system, it’s still however wise for corporation to build its own information management compliance which will cover (a) information management business criteria based on legal, regulations and business necessities and (b) development and implementation of controls designed to ensure compliance with corporate policies and procedures (Khan & Blair, 2004, pp.1-241). Social media and networking is basically about information management, a process that covers business management, administrative, operational, technological, human resources, records and reports management, legal concerns, and other matters pertaining to organizational capacity enhancement. As company wanted to utilize the social online tools for leveraging, the companies must therefore maintain good policies and procedures; executive level of program responsibility, proper delegation of roles and the like, program communication and training, auditing and monitoring to measure human resource compliance, effective enforcement of programs and sustained development and improvement of companies’ business operation and management (Khan & Blair, 2004, pp.1-241). These remained as essential foundation for a good corporate standing online. Information management compliance will ensure that the company has better information storage management, sense of privacy too, business continuity and planning, records management, information security, transaction management, application development and integration, technology acquisition, system configuration and management and the like (Khan & Blair, 2004, pp.1-241). This is to ensure that while social networking is maximized for client-centered business operation, some information should not be disposed publicly to the detriment of corporate trading secrets and security of internal operational policies (Khan & Blair, 2004, pp.1-241). Companies have image and culture to preserve too from the rest of its competitors and from the public.(Khan & Blair, 2004, pp.1-241).There should be no breach of information too about how its expanding its business operation and how its dealing with its products and customers online (Khan & Blair, 2004, pp.1-241). Maximum caution should therefore be exercised not to divulge sensitive matters that are not of public concerns or are purely internal matters of the organization (Khan & Blair, 2004, pp.1-241). The company must therefore designate proper persons who are accountable or responsible about records and documents and who will be designated for customer service representatives on social media who’d deal with real time information. This should be clarified as there are separate intents in each of the company’s records. Those who’d be designated on this should possess the qualities of (a) the ability to make infinite perfect copies as electronic files; (b) the skill and ability to instantly disseminate perfect copies to people around the globe in just a touch of a key; (c) the capacity to tract versions of similar documents without the us e of special softwares; (d) and the ease to look into altered digital file inadvertently and intentionally (Khan & Blair, 2004, pp.1-241). In all cases, the official document should be retained for its keeping and for management. In this context, the company must provide employees with retention rules for electronic records; provide guidance and training on what information that could be permitted for global circulation; nurture employees on record management responsibilities; develop rules to document communication in social networks and emails for strategic concerns; and all workers must know technological solutions ot instruments to secure computers or laptops and other information technology gadgets (Khan & Blair, 2004, pp.1-241). The information management must likewise include organizational information security policies that will reflect the current policies on online customer relationship management to secure customer privacy (Khan & Blair, 2004, pp.1-241). The companies must still uphold the laws pertaining to electronic information to respect that what is acceptable to the legal system of all countries, hence, determining what is allowed to be shared publicly online and ascertaining that these information are trustworthy, complete, reliable, secure and technology-neutral (Khan & Blair, 2004, pp.1-241). Of course, it must also include respect on policies established by the social networks such as in Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, PinInterest, Google+ , and the like (Khan & Blair, 2004, pp.1-241). Integrity of information can be manifested if the records are not altered and that it remained complete from its creation to its distribution (Khan & Blair, 2004, pp.1-241). It is accurate when all information in the document shared online is the same since its creation and within its lifecycle (Khan & Blair, 2004, pp.1-241). It’s considered as authentic when the information maintain what it purports to be and the record can reliably demonstrated (Khan & Blair, 2004, pp.1-241). And, the information is truly accessible when company maintained media storage, hardware obsolescence, compatibility of software and preserved from any viral infection online. It is maybe upgraded in a different format as technology advance, provided this is in consonance to management’s decision (Khan & Blair, 2004, pp.1-241).These matters are asserted to ensure that information hackers, phishers, and those liars online cannot alter and revert original company information (Khan & Blair, 2004, pp.1-241). As such, to maintain digital trustworthiness, those in-charged to online information must adapt some sense of creative complexity, save records on portable archives, make inherent characteristics of documents to manifest distinction and non-alterability, documents are saved in hardware or softwares, and may have metadata in multiple parts to ensure that data and records can be accessed for capture and retrieval in all manner possible (Khan & Blair, 2004, pp.1-241). As earlier mentioned, the corporate information shared online and in social networks should be based on criteria for commercial entities, government agencies, public companies, manufacturing companies, companies online, and information technology companies to maintain commitment and accountability to the organization itself and to its targeted consumers (Khan & Blair, 2004, pp.1-241). As the market heats up with the revolution of the web, companies are indeed pressured to maintain justice in its interactive business transactions and to ensure that customers expectations are met (Khan & Blair, 2004, pp.1-241). To attain this, the following can be considered as significant checklists on corporate information management system: a. Employees must be educated on company’s ownership of information (Khan & Blair, 2004, pp.1-241); b. Rules must be set up to regulate employees for secure transmission of corporate information and products distributions (Khan & Blair, 2004, pp.1-241); c. Privacy policy should be develop on company’s website as well as on employees’ personal information e.g. human resources database and, there must be a third party policy for the personal information of customers, clients, and patients (in case of hospitals and pharmaceticals) (Khan & Blair, 2004, pp.1-241); d. Maximize document and record management software and require all employees on its proper use (Khan & Blair, 2004, pp.1-241); e. All information technology staff must have written procedures for property scanning, indexing, imaging and storing of records (Khan & Blair, 2004, pp.1-241); f. Corporate information management policy must be established and its compliance as a directive and organizational regulation should be monitored (Khan & Blair, 2004, pp.1-241); g. All employees in all business departments must possess record management as integral part of their job description (Khan & Blair, 2004, pp.1-241). From the foregoing, let it be asserted that business leveraging thru social media can be competitively addressed and exercised only, provided the companies and organizations are able to demonstrate effective and competitive information too (Bleeke &Ernst, 1993, pp. 4-36; Collis, 1996, pp. 139-163). When this corporate integrity is established, collaboration with other companies online and with customers within social network platforms will be easy and less challenging. This is because online customers would still prefer a company that maintain its truant principles and policies, especially when purchases are met with some discontent or dissatisfaction from the part of the clients. This is with due consideration that time, money and efforts are invested in the delivery or transportation of goods alone. Hence, customers can only be assured when the company maintain an online reputation and standard performances to meet clients’ expectations. In the end, the interest of strategic business management is the satisfaction of customers. It’s only thru this guarantee that others could propagate too about the efficiency, effectiveness, and competitiveness of one’s business operation on web. References Badaracco JL. 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